White to move. How should white proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
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White to move. How should white proceed?
Source: ChessToday.net
Black should have played Nd7 instead of Nc6. The knight on f6 is guarding so much and is protected so little, can’t play g6. It’s interesting too how Ng5 doesn’t work initially but after Bxe6, Bxe6 it becomes quite powerful. It’s just one little thing black did wrong and whammo.
The capture at e6 with the knight at e6 immediately jumps out at me, but it took me many more minutes to actually see more clearly why it might be sufficient for white- I could only immediately see the bishop recapture with check with some vague ideas of following up with Ng5 and Bxf6. As I quickly learned, the various line are numerous, and it is impossible to do this exhaustively, and I can only hit the highlights:
1. Ne6 fe6 (alternatives later)
2. Be6 Kh8
Here, Kf8 appears no better since white can get the queen in at h7 anyway: [2. …Kf8 3.Bf6! Re8 (or 3. …gf6? 4.Qh7 looks like mate coming to me) 4.Qh7 Re6 5.Qg7 Ke8 6.Ng5 Rf6 7.Qf6 Ne7 8.Qf7 and white should win with all the extra pawns, even if there isn’t a mating net here, or an immediate way to win a black piece]. I am ignoring a lot of variations in this subline. Continuing from move 2 above:
3. Ng5
Threatens Nf7+ and Bxf6/Qh7#. Continuing:
3. …..Bh2
Clearing the line to d4 to get rid of white’s dark bishop. Blocking the line with Ne5 seems a bit worse to me due to the discovered check at the tail end: [3. …Ne5 4.Be5 Be5 5.Nf7 Kg8 6.Nd8 Kf8 7.Nb7 Qb7 8.Qf5 wins an exchange and two pawns on net]. Continuing from move 3 above:
4. Kh1 Nd4 (Ne5 like above mostly)
5. Bd4 Rd4 (point of Bh2 plus P)
6. Nf7 Kg8
7. Nd6 Kf8
8. Nb7 Qb7 (or allow Rc8+)
9. ed4 Bc7
10.d5 and white has won an exchange and a pawn- a powerful passed pawn.
Now, at move 1, black might try not taking the knight at e6, but white will still play Ne/fg5 with some of the same threats as above including a threat on f7 itself:
1. Ne6 Re8
2. Neg5 Ne5
3. Be5 Be5
4. Bf7 should win for white.
And if black tries to avoid this fork by playing the rook to c8 or d7 on move 1, it won’t save him:
1. Ne6 Rc8
2. Neg5 wins another pawn with a powerful attack. Or
1. Ne6 Rd7
2. Bf6 gf6
3. Qf5 is going win a piece outright by my thinking.
Suits my style. 🙂
1. Nxe6! fxe6
2. Bxe6+ Kh8
( 2…….. Kf8
3. Bxf6 gxf6
4. Qxh7 +- )
3. Ng5!
and white has strong threats of Nf7 and Bxf6 – Qxh7# )
I think white is winning.
Ne6fe6 Be6+ and Nb5
I see only a pawn advantage. I must be missing something
1.Nxe6 Bxh2+
2.Nxh2 fxe6
3.Bxe6+ Kh8
4.Qa1 Rd6
5.Bxf6 Qf8
6.Bxg7+ Qxg7
7.Qxg7+ Kxg7
8.Ba2 h5
9.Nf3 Kf6
10.Rc3 Ne7
11.Nd4 Nc6
12.Nxc6 and White has an endgame that can be won
Instinctively goodlooking for white is
1. Bxf6 gxf6
2. Nh5
Nf3 to g5
pht,
I don’t know if 1.Bf6 is bad for white, but I don’t see a real continuation either:
1. Bf6 gf6
2. Nh5
I looked at other moves, and I have to agree that Nh5 is the most promising here. Continuing:
2. …..Be7
I don’t like f5 for black here for two reasons, it reopens the hole at g5 for a white knight, and by playing f5, black won’t be able to play Ne5 in response to a later Qe4 or Qb2 by white. Continuing:
3. Qb2
I have no clue what white might do that is better. If he tries 3.Qe4, black plays Ne5 anyway discovering two attacks on the white queen if white persists: [3.Qe4 Ne5 4.Qf4 Nf3 5.gf3 Qf4 6.Nf4 Bf3 and black is up a pawn]. Continuing:
3. …..Ne5
4. Ne5 Qe5
5. Qe5 fe5
And who is better here? White would like to play Rc7 skewering the bishops, but can’t due to the back rank weakness. Black has doubled e-pawns, but has the two bishops, and white’s knight is a bit out place and not so easily repositioned via g3 and e2. Probably about even to slightly better for black is my judgment.
Why not Ng5 first? g6 wins a knight quickly.